Meningococcal C Vaccine Associated With Decreased Canadian Cases Of Most Deadly Strain Of Meningitis

Universal childhood vaccination against
meningococcal C appears to reduce Canadian incidence of the most deadly strain of
bacterial meningitis, reports new research published in the March issue of The Pediatric
Infectious Disease Journal.


The Men C vaccine was introduced as part of universal immunization programs for
children in Quebec and Alberta in 2002 and in British Columbia and Prince Edward
Island in 2003.



By 2005, all Canadian provinces included Men C vaccine as part of routine childhood
vaccinations. Staggered implementation across Canada offered researchers the
opportunity to evaluate the universal vaccination program.



"There was a dramatic decline in provinces with the early immunization program,
suggesting the program works," says Dr. Julie Bettinger, the study's lead author.
Dr. Bettinger is a scientist in the Vaccine Evaluation Centre at the Child & Family
Research Institute and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University
of British Columbia.



Prior to Men C universal vaccination, BC, Alberta, and Quebec had rates of
meningococcal C disease that were nearly 4.5 times higher than the rest of Canada. The
study reports that today these provinces have the lowest rates in Canada, from 0.41 cases
per 100,000 people in 2002 down to 0.07 per 100,000 in 2006. The provinces with later
introduction of universal Men C vaccination showed no major changes in the one year of
follow up study, with annual rates of meningococcal C at 0.08 per 100,000 people in
2006.



"The numbers may seem small, but even one case of the disease is one too many," says
Dr. Bettinger. "It can strike without warning and cause death or permanent physical or
neurological disability. Because meningococcal infection is spread by saliva through
coughing, sneezing, and kissing, it has the potential to become an epidemic. Universal
vaccination is critical to control disease and prevent epidemics."



Meningitis is an infection of the lining that covers the brain and spinal cord. It can be
caused by viruses and bacteria. The viral causes of meningitis are rarely life-threatening
whereas the bacterial types are more deadly. There are five strains of meningitis caused
by the meningococcal bacteria (called serogroups A, B, C, Y, and W135). Meningococcal
vaccines protect against A, C, Y, W135 with the Men C public vaccination programs
targeting the meningococcal C bacteria. The researchers did not observe significant changes in the rates of other strains causing meningitis following introduction of the
meningococcal C vaccination program.



Infection with the meningococcal bacteria develops suddenly into a medical emergency
that must be treated in hospital with IV antibiotics. Initial symptoms include fever,
headache, stiff neck, vomiting, and drowsiness while in infants it may show as irritability
and lethargy. It can cause gangrene leading to amputation of limbs, blindness, deafness,
brain damage, and cognitive and neurological disability. Children, adolescents, and
immuno-compromised individuals are most vulnerable to infection.



Meningococcal C is the most fatal strain of bacterial meningitis. It infects approximately
250 Canadian children and adults each year, according to the BC Centre for Disease
Control. For every 100 children who get sick, up to 15 will die. Those who survive may
face life-long disability.



The Men C vaccine is provided free to all children in BC along with the regular childhood
vaccinations. Infants need two doses: one needle at two months of age and then another at
12 months. The vaccine is also provided to people who may be vulnerable because they
are missing a spleen, they have a weak immune system, are transplant recipients, or they
have a cochlear (inner ear) implant.



The Men C vaccine is the first product suitable for infants offering long-term immunity
against meningococcal C and it became commercially available in 2001. Previously,
adolescents or adults received a different vaccine which provided protection for about
three years.



For the study, the 12 pediatric centres involved with the Canadian Immunization
Monitoring Program, Active (IMPACT), carried out surveillance in collaboration with
local public health officials. IMPACT meningococcal surveillance is administered by the
Canadian Paediatric Society and funded by Sanofi Pasteur. Its surveillance centres are
located in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta, and BC.



"What's needed next is a vaccine against meningococcal B," says Dr. Bettinger. "This is
the Holy Grail of vaccine research."



Notes:



The Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) conducts discovery research, clinical
investigation, and applied health research to benefit the health of children and families. It
is the largest research institute of its kind in Western Canada. CFRI works in close
partnership with BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, and
BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre, agencies of the Provincial Health Services
Authority; BC Children's Hospital Foundation; the University of British Columbia and
Simon Fraser University. For more information, visit cfri/.



Source: Jennifer Kohm


Child & Family Research Institute


Buy Kenalog Without Prescription